1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to movements for battery-operated electronic watches which are receivable in cases, and more particularly to a family of such movements, all of which are identical save for the plates on which the electronic and mechanical components are mounted whereby the movements in the family may be used in conjunction with a variety of watch cases.
2. Prior Art
Manufacturers of electronic watches are being compelled by prevailing market conditions to streamline their production procedures in order to reduce manufacturing costs. The need, therefore exists for standardized electronic watch movements which may be mass-produced and are suitable for incorporation in watch cases of the most varied type.
For this purpose, it is already known to provide a watch movement of standardized design, the movement being accommodated to fit within a particular form of case by means of a mounting ring. This ring encircles the movement and acts to effectively enlarge its diameter, the profile of the ring conforming to the inner contour of the case. Thus the mounting ring functions as an adapter for the standardized movement. By the use of appropriate adapters, it becomes possible to incorporate the same movement in a range of ladies' and gentlemen's watches having cases that differ both in their dimensions and shapes.
It is also known to provide otherwise identical battery-operated electronic watch movements with pillar plates of different size. In this way, at least in principle, identical watch movements which lend themselves to low-cost, mass production may be used in a more diversified manner with a broad range of differently-styled cases. Indeed, it then becomes possible, using the same machines and gauges, to produce a large series of movements which, despite their diversified end uses, differ from each other merely in the outer dimensions of their plates, the movements otherwise being the same.
With such families or sets of movements having different dimensioned plates but otherwise identical structures, the source of battery power is normally a flat, round, mercury or silver cell which is integrated with the movement. That is to say, the cell is either completely or partially surrounded by the electronic and mechanical components of the movement. Hence regardless of the dimensions or shapes of the plates, the dimensions of the power supply cells in all movements in the set are constant, for they are predetermined by the space allotted to the cell in the movement design. As a consequence, whether the standardized movement is incorporated in a large or small case, the battery is the same and its operating life is the same. Thus while a larger case has more space available for a battery of larger capacity, this space remains unexploited.